'I'm a doctor – eating this one fruit every day reduces cancer risk and slows aging'

We all know fruits have a variety of health benefits, but did you know one in particular can protect your DNA? That's according to Dr Kunal Sood, who uses TikTok to share his top tips for a healthier lifestyle.

In a new video, he responded to a suggestion that kiwis can protect your DNA. "This is true," Dr Sood began. "Kiwi has been shown to not only repair DNA damage, but also stimulate DNA repair and there's research to support this."

The doctor explained that Vitamin C and E in kiwis are antioxidants, while the DNA repair comes from fruits ability to "stimulate base excision repair". Clarifying this jargon, he continued: "What this actually means for our health is we are reducing our risk of cancer, slowing down the aging process, augmenting our immune system and protecting our brain."

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Kiwi is also a great source of fibre, Dr Sood added, referencing research that suggests it can decrease your risk of constipation. "I’ve been eating at least one kiwi a day for months now," one of his 2.3million followers said in response. "Amazing benefits."

A second person penned: "TRUE! I started to eat kiwi years ago because of bowel movement, but I have noticed health benefits way further than I expected… I’m sticking to my daily kiwi routine."

A study by Suzanne Clancy PhD on DNA damage and repair explains how DNA can become damaged. It states: "Because DNA is the repository of genetic information in each living cell, its integrity and stability are essential to life. DNA, however, is not inert; rather, it is a chemical entity subject to assault from the environment, and any resulting damage, if not repaired, will lead to mutation and possibly disease. Perhaps the best-known example of the link between environmental-induced DNA damage and disease is that of skin cancer, which can be caused by excessive exposure to UV radiation in the form of sunlight."

Backing up Dr Sood's advice, another study - documented in the National Institute of Health’s National Library of Medicine - reports: "Antioxidant micronutrients may account for the beneficial effects of fruits on human health. A direct demonstration that consumption of fruit decreases oxidative DNA damage in human cells would support this hypothesis.

"Kiwifruit was taken as an example of a food with putative antioxidant properties, and its effectiveness at decreasing oxidative DNA damage was assessed in ex vivo as well as in vitro tests."